He thought of her as a sleeping beauty, then she awoke... When librarian Anna Kenner wakes up in the hospital, she's stunned to learn that she's been in a coma for a week, and her life has been turned upside down. Anna has always been quiet and self-reliant, but now she must ask for help. To make matters worse, the man she's coming to rely on is a casual friend from high school, whom she always wished could be more. As Roman helps her recover, Anna wonders if this time she will be braver and have a different outcome—Roman in her arms. Dr. Roman McQueen leads a busy life between his work at the hospital and his time spent at his family's Montana ranch. And yet, he finds himself sitting night after night at Anna's bedside reading her a mystery and hoping that somehow she knows that, even though she has no family, she is not alone. When Anna wakes and begins the long process of recovery, Roman finds himself by her side. He tells himself he's being a friend even as he tries not to notice how her kindness, quiet wit and subtle beauty make him dream that someday they can have more.